Wide Receiver 40 Time

[Vegasdogg]

LOL - beat me to it Alo.

[Vegasdogg]

Originally Posted by jason j

Perhaps that should've gone in the 2nd Tier WR thread? See what happens when I miss a couple of weeks...

-jj

No excuses man. You need to be here more often.

[Brown Warrior]

Funny. You guys posted that at the same instant.

He played all year with a hand... and then put up those sick numbers with a foot... that kid gets healthy, he literally might fly.

I think he's in the mix. I'll say that. He's a legit top 10 guy. And of the top 10 guys, he and Miller are the two with arrows pointed way up. Dareus is up-ish. Fairley might be slightly down-ish. Quinn is slighly down-ish. Peterson stays where he is. Mallett is just confusing everybody with an amazing workout and also great board work. Very football smart. Newton slides a little. Gabbert moved up without throwing because nobody doubts he can throw and he won the interviews.

I think A.J. holds steady but has way less of a lead on Julio.

[Koa]

Originally Posted by jason j

If you watch the tapes (of the games) and read the combine results, the receiver that solidified himself in my mind is LSU's Terrence Toliver. Value picking is an art form. And LSU's quarterback woes did little to help Toliver who was projected to be a feature receiver after a solid 2009. So a guy who can't get the ball through little-to-no fault of his own, comes out with a third/fourth round rating? OK, but how does he look on tape?

On film, he's a fluid athlete. He has excellent hands. May lack some of the shake you'd want in a top receiver. But he's long, at nearly 6'4", and 212 lbs, and ran a rock-solid 4.52 in the 40. He does a great job at bodying off defenders - and catches the ball away from his body. Has big, strong hands as well. You almost immediately notice how quickly he deadens the ball when he snatches it out of the air.

That said, his showcase events have been a little up and down. He looked good in the practices leading up to the East/West Shrine Game - then managed to completely disappear on game day. He has had bouts with the dreaded "D" word. And has, on occasion, pushed his luck with the ball in his hands only to cough it up in traffic. Interesting thing though, when pressed, he's OK. Timing routes, quick posts, he's excellent. He gets a little frustrated when it's 'man up and beat that guy to the nine and separate.' He's just not that kind of receiver. He tends to pull the rip chord if he can't separate early.

However, in the disciplined, receiver-friendly West Coast Offense, a player like Toliver could flourish.

If you're not familiar with Terrence Toliver, grab a tape of this year's Cotton Bowl (I love when guys show up big in big games), and you may find yourself wondering why no one's talking about him.

-jj

Thanks JJ thats a great take on Toliver. I don't know anything about this kid but the Cotton Bowl seems to be a nice place to start.

[Brown Warrior]

Didn't realize until I just saw in on NFLN: Julio also bested the entire field in the 60 yard shuttle. Dude dominated his position at this Combine and it wasn't really close.

I'm beginning to wonder if it wasn't a matter of the guy being underestimated. He had 2,000 yards and 20-some TDs the last two years, like 17 yards a catch... from Greg McElroy.

[PlaygroundLegend]

The other and main thing about Julio is the gauntlet, I heard he DOMINATED at it.... which makes me think that his hands are actually quite good now, and that he's worked on them, which also begs the question... what exactly besides rout running does AJ Green have on Julio? Body control... but that comes with comfortability

[Brown Warrior]

I read that, too, PGL, that he was really extending his hands and snatching the ball. I think he's a guy who bloomed a little later than expected and still has the occasional "concentration lapse," but that's often a maturity issue. I love Alo's cut-up of him competing and faring pretty damn well against Peterson.

He's obviously a crazy athlete and a tough guy, playing through hand and foot injuries, and he obviously prepares like a professional. I like guys who show up ready to win something as tantamount to their futures as the Combine. You really gotta take care of the machine in the NFL, and a lot of guys who think they're doing enough find out quickly that they aren't. Honestly, it's why my son was a great athlete and a really, really good high school football player instead of a serious D-1 prospect.

I'm a big Julio Jones fan. I'm more and more comfortable putting Green and Jones in the same breath.

BTW, the foot isn't an issue except that he won't be running. He's expected to be cleared for training by the end of April.